Are You “Looking After” or “Looking Up?” Rev. Tony Cooke Perhaps you’ve heard about the little boy who was given an orange by a man. The boy’s mother asked, “What do you say to the nice man?” The little boy thought for a second, handed the orange back, and said, “Peel it.” There’s a little […]
Someone once said, “I might pick a rosebud off a tree, and it would be a rosebud and no more. The one I love in all the world might pluck a rosebud off a tree and give it to me, and it would be a rosebud and a great deal more. The meaning would be changed because she gave it to me.” … read more
Living Deliberately By Tony Cooke Every time January rolls around, people begin speculating about what the New Year will bring. One individual said, "My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there." As understandable as that perspective is, Winston Churchill emphasized the importance of maintaining focus […]
Is it Live, or is it Memorex? By Tony Cooke I remember a decades-old television commercial from Memorex, a company that made cassette tapes. A glass was shown sitting on a table while the voice of Ella Fitzgerald was heard singing. When a certain high note was hit, the glass shattered and the viewer was […]
Process, Event, and the Little Red Hen By Tony Cooke Many years ago at a church service, I gave an altar call and a handful of people responded; one of these being a boy in his early teens. I had a self-congratulatory thought as though I was somehow responsible for these responses. Reality came quickly […]
Limitations: The Ones We Respect and the Ones We Transcend Tony Cooke There are two types of limitations. There are legitimate limitations that we should respect, and there are perceived limitations that we should transcend. Wisdom in life is knowing which limitations are valid and are to be respected, and which limitations are illusions that […]
Lessons from a Fallen King Rev. Tony Cooke We are going to look at a person in the Bible who never realized his full potential in God. The person I speak of is Saul from the Old Testament. Saul is not one of the more positive role models given to us in the Word of […]
The Last Skill Spiritual Leaders Learn Tony Cooke Video Message: Skills Part 1 Video Message: Skills Part 2 Whether it’s learning to tie your shoes or driving a stick shift, life is a series of skill acquisitions. It doesn’t matter if you are a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker, you must have […]
When Labels are Fables Tony Cooke I’m curious. Who has defined reality for you? What is the basis for how you see yourself, the people around you, your circumstances, your destiny, and your world? How much of your sense of reality has been defined by your parents, your education, society, and the media? The world […]
Jurassic Park and the Incarnation Rev. Tony Cooke You’ve probably seen the movie, Jurassic Park. It’s the story of some ambitious geneticists who embrace the undertaking of creating living dinosaurs from the DNA of extinct dinosaurs. The endeavor is going so well that a theme park is being built around the exhibition, but then things […]
Was Jesus a Jedi? By Tony Cooke Biblical Texts: 1 John 1:5; Acts 17:16-34; John 14:6 Introduction and Overview Very few people in this country are unfamiliar with the term, “Jedi,” but in case you are, let me give you some background. The first Star Wars movie came out in 1977 and was followed by […]
A Jealous God? Rev. Tony Cooke Jealousy is often thought of only in a negative light, and there has been no shortage of negative examples to reinforce such thinking. In its negative expression, ungodly jealousy is a carnal, ugly trait associated with insecurity, fear, covetousness, and suspicion. It was Shakespeare who called jealousy a “green-eyed […]
Involuntary Heroes Rev. Tony Cooke John F. Kennedy is a great figure in American history, and is well-known as our thirty-fifth president. After graduating from Harvard in 1940, he entered the Navy and was put in charge of a U.S. Navy Torpedo Boat, PT-109, in the Pacific. When he and his crew were on a […]
Are Indulgences Making a Comeback? Rev. Tony Cooke One of the movies I’ve enjoyed in recent year was about Martin Luther’s ministry leading up to and through the Protestant Reformation (the title of this work from 2003 is “Luther”). In it, his grief over the unscriptural practice of indulgences is clearly seen. The “Pocket History […]
In Memoriam Barbara Bennett Cooke (1923 – 2011) While sitting at the breakfast table on Monday morning, January 24, Barbara Cooke slipped peacefully into eternity. Like many of her era, she was born in the family home in Boonville, Indiana on September 23, 1923. In her youth, mom was very athletic. She played softball, tennis, […]
Image vs. Substance: Avoiding the ‘Saul Syndrome’ and Cultivating a ‘David Heart’ By Tony Cooke There wasn’t anyone who seemed to be better “kingly material” than Saul. Scripture tells us, “…There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the […]
The God of the Hills, Plains, and Valleys By Rev. Tony Cooke In the Old Testament, the enemies of God’s people made a serious miscalculation. Having lost a battle against the Israelites, the advisors to the king of Syria said, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if […]
Gurus, Groupies, and Gullibility Tony Cooke If you are my age or a bit older, you may remember the hysteria surrounding the Beatles when they first became popular. In addition to “Let it Be” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” you may recall teenybopper fans who were beside themselves, screaming, crying, and swooning in […]
Great Missions Quotes "God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply." – Hudson Taylor "God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him." – Hudson Taylor "The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” – […]
Grace, Repentance, and Confession Tony Cooke I recently had the privilege of doing some extended meetings at Pastor Jerry Weinzierl’s church in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and was able to teach in-depth on the topic of grace. One of the areas I taught related to how God’s grace affects whether believers need to confess sins or […]
A Gospel of Irresponsibility? Rev Tony Cooke As I travel, I’m hearing more and more thought that is circulating in the Body of Christ regarding an “understanding” of grace that seems to be facilitating and promoting a sense of irresponsibility in people. Some applications of this would include: “Because I’m saved by grace, it doesn’t […]
Building God’s Dream Team by Tony Cooke The Apostle Paul used athletic imagery on occasion to emphasize certain aspects of the Christian life and of ministry work. I’ve enjoyed seeing the many parallels that exist when it comes to those who excel and become true champions in their given fields, whether it’s in the natural […]
The God of Increase by Tony Cooke What do you think of when you hear the phrase, “The God of Increase?” Do you think of God simply helping you have more, or do you see Him helping you to become more and achieve more? God is vitally interested in developing you as a person – enabling you […]
Getting the Right Results in Life By Tony Cooke I was talking recently with a pastor friend, and he introduced me to a Hebrew word, achariyth (pronounced, ahk-ar-eeth). This word carries the idea of “the final result of one’s ways, thoughts, and behaviors.” Other implications of this word include, “the end, the outcome, the conclusion, […]
Getting Along By Tony Cooke Every book of the New Testament has something to say about how we are supposed to get along with other people. Every single NT book has at least one (and some have several) verses about getting along. How we are to love and treat each other (encouraging, edifying, etc.) How […]
